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Diane Banks

In July 2020, in an attempt to bring my reading rate in line with my book-buying rate, because books are first and foremost a starting point for debate, and because reading is inherently a social activity, I committed to writing a few words about every book I read.

Thoughts and comments welcome.

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Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch

Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch

Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch

Gollancz, 2011 (and limited Orion author party edition, 2014) For a number of years, in the days when we did such things, every February...

Mar 16, 20214 min read

Social Class in the 21st Century by Mike Savage

Social Class in the 21st Century by Mike Savage

Social Class in the 21st Century by Mike Savage

Plus The British Worker by Ferdinand Zweig & The Rise of the Meritocracy 1870-2033 by Michael Young Pelican Books 2015, 1952 & 1961 This...

Mar 1, 20214 min read

Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield

Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield

Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield

Doubleday, 2018 Having enjoyed Diane Setterfield’s hugely successful debut The Thirteenth Tale back in 2006 (subsequently adapted by...

Feb 11, 20213 min read

A Notable Woman by Jean Lucey Pratt (ed Simon Garfield)

A Notable Woman by Jean Lucey Pratt (ed Simon Garfield)

A Notable Woman by Jean Lucey Pratt (ed Simon Garfield)

Canongate, 2015 (pb 2016) This diary of an ostensibly unremarkable woman is the most extraordinary book I’ve read this year. Prolific...

Dec 29, 20207 min read

The Card by Arnold Bennett

The Card by Arnold Bennett

The Card by Arnold Bennett

Public Domain Books (originally Methuen, February 1911) I have a penchant for that particular genre of turn-of-the-(twentieth)-century...

Nov 23, 20204 min read

For the Record by David Cameron

For the Record by David Cameron

For the Record by David Cameron

William Collins, October 2020 A year after publication, three years since it was supposed to be published, a month after the paperback,...

Oct 25, 20203 min read

The Brideship Wife by Leslie Howard

The Brideship Wife by Leslie Howard

The Brideship Wife by Leslie Howard

Simon & Schuster Canada, May 2020 This debut set in 19th century British Columba intrigued me as I’ve spent some time researching the...

Aug 3, 20203 min read

Hagar of Homerton by Alice Dudeney

Hagar of Homerton by Alice Dudeney

Hagar of Homerton by Alice Dudeney

C Arthur Pearson, 1898 I first came across Alice Dudeney whilst working with Damian Collins on his biography of Sir Philip Sassoon five...

Jul 12, 20204 min read

Dressed for War: the Story of Audrey Withers, Vogue Editor Extraordinaire by Julie Summers

Dressed for War: the Story of Audrey Withers, Vogue Editor Extraordinaire by Julie Summers

Dressed for War: the Story of Audrey Withers, Vogue Editor Extraordinaire by Julie Summers

Simon & Schuster, February 2020 This is another excellent biography of a woman who was pivotal to history but whose contribution has been...

Jul 5, 20204 min read

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